The need to communicate data is a necessary aspect of modem society. The availability of modem communication systems through which to communicate data is, therefore, regularly required by many people. Many different types of communication systems have been developed and deployed, through which to communicate data to effectuate many varied types of communication services.
At a minimum, a communication system includes a sending station and a receiving station, interconnected theretogether by way of a communication channel. Data is sourced, or otherwise provided to, the sending station and converted, if necessary, into a form to permit its communication upon the communication channel. The receiving station detects the data communicated upon the communication channel and operates to recover the informational content of the data.
A telephonic communication system is an exemplary type of communication system. Telephonic communication systems have been deployed to encompass a large part of the populated areas of the world. Through use of a telephonic communication system, telephonic communication of both voice and non-voice data is provided. The telephonic communication is effectuated by use of telephonic stations that are connected, in communication connectivity, with a telephonic network. Two-way communication of data is provided as the telephonic stations generally include circuitry capable of both sending and receiving data.
The telephonic station at which communications with another telephonic station are initiated is sometimes referred to as being a calling station or calling party. And, the telephonic station with which the telephonic communications are to be effectuated is sometimes referred to as being the called station or called party. Call set-up signaling is performed to form call connections through the telephonic network to form a communication path between the telephonic stations.
Signaling protocols and signaling network entities that operate upon the signaling messages comport to signaling standards pursuant to which a telephonic network is operable. One such signaling protocol, and a corresponding signaling network, is referred to as a signaling system seven (SS7) protocol and network. SS7 networks have been widely deployed and used.
Generally, an SS7 network forms a packet data network that provides for out-of-band signaling. SS7 Signaling of signal messages, i.e., signaling data, is performed pursuant to call set-up and call tear-down procedures pursuant to which advanced intelligent network (AIN) communication services are implemented. Additionally, SS7 signaling is performed to provide for routing of data traffic between interexchange carriers (IXCs) as well as to access databases at which database information is stored that is utilized to provide various communication services.
Amongst the entities that are defined in an SS7 network are signaling points that form, or include, switches that are referred to as signal transfer points (STPs). Signal transfer points of the SS7 network are interconnected by way of data links.
An SS7 network also typically includes additional entities including, for instance, signal switching points (SSPs) that operate, amongst other things, to route calls that are initiated by calling stations. Points of presence (POPs) form the calling and called stations forming data sources and data syncs of network traffic. The points of presence also provide alternate local telephonic carrier networks and interexchange carriers with access to a local access and transport area (LATA) associated with a particular signal transfer point. And, SS7 networks also typically include network databases (DBs).
SS7 signaling messages are sometimes routed upon communication paths through successive signal transfer points prior to delivery to a desired destination. The signaling messages are formatted pursuant to a packet formatting scheme to include a header part and a payload part. The header part of the message identifies at least to where the message is to be delivered.
The communication path upon which a message is transported to be delivered to a desired destination might not be secure. That is to say, an unauthorized party might be able to ascertain the informational part of a message during its communication along the communication path to the desired destination. As, sometimes, the informational content of the message is proprietary, the possibility that the security of the informational component of the message might be compromised must be precluded.
Existing schemes proposed by which better to provide for increased security of communications are variously inadequate or unworkable.
And, while encryption techniques are generally known, their application to SS7, or other, signaling network communications have generally not been possible due to encryption techniques and their associated processing requirements. As signaling data must be communicated in real-time or with only minimal delay, use of encryption techniques to improve the security of communication of signaling data has not been implemented.
As a continuing need exists to provide for secure-communication of signaling data, such as in an SS7 signaling network, any manner by which better to provide for secure communications upon a communication path that exhibits an untrusted level of security would be advantageous.
It is in light of this general information related to the communication of signaling messages in an SS7, or other, signaling network that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.